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Add this sad story to the list of reasons the Mets have for ditching this guy.....

Man up time, Willie. You got the big job, a major league manager's position in MLB's number one market. What comes with it? Your fat paychecks AND lots of eyes on you and opinions that will, frankly, be constant. It's part of the gig. And don't look for parity in the Sport of Public Opinion. Don't whine. Just Do It. They gave you a talented team. Your job is to lead it to success. What a privilege and opportunity you have.........and you ain't no Joe T. So stop trying to be like him, and get your Voice and your Swagger going. Man up.

Your fat paychecks, ENZO

Willie got a noncomparable lower salary then most coaches, not that he will need welfare checks, if he wanted to scream racism he should have gone there rather then where he went. He is crazy if he thinks that his poor job last year and a bad start this year has anything to do with racism.

I'm so sick of hearing about race in MLB...

Yes, the numbers of minorities in MLB has fallen slightly but this is still American baseball and the majority of players are recruited from American schools. And the vast majority of managers are former players.

So those to statements kind of go hand in hand.

The number of minorities in baseball has NOT fallen. The percentage of players who are black has fallen because of the increasing number of Latino players. The percentage of players who are Caucasian has, of course, fallen as well.

The best players make it to the majors, regardless of skin color. Only a fool would think that in this day and age there are owners picking less qualified players because they don't like the race of the better players. Dumb.

It's not about anything but talent, drive and motivation. Willie may be given less credibilty because he's black; and shame the anyone that enables that.

***However, if a manager is ineffective then he should be replaced with someone who can be effective. Willie was a good manager when the Mets were bad, but they were bad and expectations change when your team is supposed to be good.

You're probably right YANKEE64. Look at the Tigers. They had least number of Latinos up until the last few years. And look them now, they have an all-Latino infield.

I don't know exactly how many black managers there are in baseball, but I can think of at least 3-4. Which is roughly the same as the percentage of blacks in the greater population.

So Willie is right to apologize...blacks are fairly represented at the manager level, and we're all the better for it. But if you want to work in the kitchen, you've got to take the heat. Win the Series, get a ring. Underperform, lose your job. That's how it works in here.

I'll bet that the main reason that Willie is now apologizing is that he spent a couple of hours yesterday reading the comments of all of us FanNation writers talking about what a fool he was.

@ TGRFAN1: Would you fire Jim Leyland cause he's white -or- because the Tigers are underperforming?

And I think you're right... Picture this: Willie, completely naked with Jerry Manuel massaging his glutes. There he is on his iMac with a desktop background picture of the shower room, full of naked Mets. He's got his mouse in one hand, a Kleenex in the other and a single tear stream running down his cheeck (face cheeck that is). And he tells himself... "It's not racism it's just that ****."

Poor Willie. *Sorry for the picture I just painted but it had to be done.

That's supposed to be: "It's not racism it's just that I stink!"

Nineteen, right on.

If you can't take the criticism you deserve, you're suggesting that you shouldn't be held to the same level of accountability as a white manager.

It saddens me that so many great people fought--and won--against the concept of "separate but equal" only to have it replaced by cries of "equal but separate."

Very good comment Yankee64... Very good.

Standing O. (Not being sarcastic either.)

US GOV

In my view, B or W doesn't matter. The Tigers have many minorities on the team. In fact, I'm going to the game this afternoon, and I proudly display my Curtis Granderson bobble head on my desk at work!
I wouldn't fire Leyland.......yet. Hernandez, the pitching coach is another question. He's an minority, so I may have to fire Leyland first so everything would be cool with everybody.

It was a stupid comment and though he was looking for answers; this will probally help end his coaching with the mets. The guy can coach but seems to lack common sense and clearly not ready to head coach.

Clearly he is not the fit to coach this team. The Mets have allot of talent but without the right leadership; it does not matter.

If the Yanks cannot find a way to play under their new manager; he may not survive the year. They are less likely to be patient.

When it comes to the coaching staff, it's less about coaching than it is about motivating and getting the best out of each player... If things are not positive in the clubhouse, then they are not positive on the field. It's a sad situation and the Mets have a lot of good players, but Willie is no longer the best option... And niether Jerry Manuel (he's a Willie clone).

Thx, USG.

Furthermore, player complacency is the problem here. Willie can't motivate them. They shouldn't need motivation, but like anyone else, they do need it.